10 Ways to DASH Up Your Dining

High blood pressure affects 50 million Americans and is one of the
leading causes of heart disease and stroke. The eating plan shown
below, from the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)
study, is good news for those affected by or at risk for high blood
pressure. As reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, the DASH
diet, which is low in fat and rich in lowfat milk, cheese and yogurt,
fruits and vegetables, lowered blood pressure in individuals with
both normal and elevated blood pressure. The use of foods lower in
sodium made a slight improvement in blood pressure beyond what
occurred with the lowfat dairy products, fruits and vegetables. The
study was based on a 2000-calorie diet and contained the number of
servings from each of the food groups shown in the chart below. For
many people, following the DASH eating plan can be an important
and easy step in preventing or managing high blood pressure.
1 Re-think your drink!
Make lowfat milk your
beverage of choice: order it
when dining out.
2 Pizza, Pizza, Pizza!
Combine a pre-made pizza crust
with pizza sauce, shredded
lowfat mozzarella and lots
of vegetable toppings—
fresh tomatoes, zucchini,
spinach, carrot curls,
cauliflower, broccoli
and artichoke hearts—for a
totally awesome creation.
3 Start Your Day—
with whole grain cereal
and lowfat milk.
4 Make it with Milk!
Use lowfat milk in place
of water when cooking,
especially with oatmeal,
boxed rice and pasta dishes.
5 For That Snack Attack:
Serve cereal with lowfat milk
and fresh fruit. For a tangy twist,
layer flavored lowfat yogurt with
cereal to create yogurt sundaes.
6 Make Super Soup!
Prepare soups with lowfat milk
instead of water. Add fresh,
canned or frozen vegetables
to prepared soups.
7 Shake ‘em Up!
Create blender drinks. Start with
a cup of lowfat milk, add frozen
fruit chunks and flavorings to
make your own smoothie drink.
8 Create a Baked Potato Bar—
Serve baked potatoes with
a variety of toppings like
lowfat cheese, chili, refried
beans, salsa or broccoli.
Add them up—one
meal could contain
three to four
vegetable servings!
9 Encourage Big Dippers!
Make a fruit dip by sprinkling
cinnamon into vanilla lowfat
yogurt. For a quick vegetable
dip, add ranch seasoning
or chopped chives to plain
lowfat yogurt.
10 Say Cheese!
Top steamed vegetables with
shredded lowfat cheese.